Gather round for the cheapest opera in town, it’ll only cost you threepenny! Or so the Balladeer says. But in an underworld of debauchery, stealing, and a cutthroat boss or two, there’s much more than simply money at stake. Bertold Brecht’s famous The Threepenny Opera, directed by Anita La Selva, is an ambitious choice for the newly created Unbridled Theatre Company, yet one that they’ve clearly taken on with gusto.

Set in a steam-punk version of London, The Threepenny Opera takes a harsh look at the more seedy characters populating the city streets. Macheath, or Mac the Knife, is a talented killer, with several murders to his name and not a single conviction. Come to find out it’s because he’s served in the military with the local Chief Inspector, Tiger Brown. JJ Peachum runs a whole gang of beggars (Brecht’s play is based on Pepusch’s The Beggar’s Opera), pocketing half of their earnings and essentially having control of the entire east end. When Mr. Peachum’s daughter, Polly, falls in love with and marries Macheath, both Mr. and Mrs. Peachum are furious, especially considering that Mrs. Peachum is also in love with Macheath. As Mr. Peachum vows vengeance against Mac, his friendship with the police inspector is also called into question…because Inspector Brown and his daughter Lucy are both also in love with Mac. When all of his double-crossing finally catches up with him, what is to become of Mac the Knife?

Aesthetically, The Threepenny Opera has a cohesive vision – one of cogs and gears, leather and lace, grime and grit. The title of the show being displayed on the background of the set is brilliant; very Brechtian in its self-reference but also the way the backdrop has been split allows for characters to visibly lurk in the shadows as they move about the stage. Likewise, the use of a large sheet to not only indicate the different scenes, but also for the shadow play during “The Ballad of Mac the Knife” to start out the show is very well done. 

However, there were some elements to the production which betrayed the inexperience of the company. In terms of functionality, the noose at the final scene of the show wasn’t tied properly, and so came undone as it dropped from the ceiling. Instead of listening to Mac sing out his final moments, there were giggles as he was forced to attempt to make it a loop again. There were actually several moments where there were plenty of giggles where I wasn’t entirely sure they were supposed to be happening; often it came from the delivery of a line being more comical than it aught to be. In part I think this happened because the characters are British and written as such, but they weren’t all played with a British accent, making words like “arse” all the more funny. Another issue I had was with the relationship between Mac and Chief Inspector Brown. They’re supposed to both be men, however in this production Brown is played by a woman. Normally I wouldn’t mind cross-casting, however in this case it threw off a certain dynamic of their relationship. There should be a level of homoeroticism which was totally missing because unfortunately Brown still read as quite feminine. 

That being said, there were certiainly some standout performances within the cast of The Threepenny Opera. Rhys Parker’s Balladeer was enchanting and engaging; his audience work is quite good as well. Cameron Helmkay’s Jenny is passionate, and she has the vocal prowess to match. Similarly, Aria De Castro gives a tantalizing performance as Mrs. Peachum, and her powerful voice was perfect for her role. Madison Buchanan and Jacob Klick, Polly and Macheath respectively, handle the vocal side of their characters well, but there’s certainly not the same scintillating chemistry between the two as is implied by the text. Maggie Tavares’ Tiger Brown was more feminine than ferocious, but her vocals roared. Kaden Klodt, Sean Lee, Nicole Lynch, and Chris Otchere provided much needed comic releif, and put the punk in steam-punk. Liam Armstrong’s Mr. Peachum is flamboyant and fearsome. Jasmine Jenkinson, Vandada Maharashtra, Joelle Salsa, and Zoe Saum take on several roles including police officers, ladies of the night, and beggars.

“Oh, the shark has pretty teeth, dear

And he shows them pearly white

Just a jackknife has Macheath, dear

And he keeps it out of sight”

Macheath’s story is the stuff of legends, both within and outside of Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera. We’re supposed to feel for Macheath, to be thankful for the Deus Ex Machina letter from the King which spares his life, yet I didn’t. Macheath is a murderer, womanizer, and isn’t particularly good at either one, so that once his connections fall apart, his sentence was just. This is a bold and complex piece of theatre for Unbridled Theatre Collective to take on, particularly for their first play as a troupe. I’m sure that there will be bright futures for this group of Sheridan grads, and hopefully great things coming from Unbridled Theatre Collective.

The Threepenny Opera runs at Videocabaret until May 17. For more information and tickets, visit: https://www.ticketscene.ca/events/51365/

---

Cover Photo: Aria De Castro, Liam Armstrong and Madison Buchanan. Photo by Clarc Manglicmot.

---

Thank you to my Patrons:

N. Bushnik, S. Fisher, B. Kinnon, D. Moyes

And to my supporters who’ve bought me a coffee:

Angelica and Paul, Anonymous, Adrianna, Caitlin, Jonathan, and Jada

Would you like to become a Patron? Check out my Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/AViewfromtheBox

Or, you can buy me a coffee at: buymeacoffee.com/aviewfromthebox